Many processes and devices to change the temperature of a discrete material by means of electromagnetic radiation are known.
Microwave ovens used as devices to warm, cook or broil food by means of microwave heating are generally known. This is a dielectric heating of electrically non-conductive materials by energy transposition in a spatially concentrated microwave field. For this, a hollow-space resonator, if necessary, with the addition of suitable reflectors, is used to concentrate the microwave radiation. For such microwave heating wave lengths in a range from 1 cm to 10 cm corresponding to frequencies of 3 to 30 Ghz (10.sup.9 Hz) are used. Commercially available microwave ovens are operated at a frequency of 2.450 MHZ 12-cm band!. Such microwaves are known to be dangerous and damaging to humans, in particular to the eyes, so that safety regulations exist for microwave ovens limiting any radiation leaks. Such devices are, therefore, not suited for room heating in particular and, their operating frequency is clearly under characteristic molecular natural frequencies.
Furthermore, a process to heat material by means of an antenna and electromagnetic radiation is known (U.S. Pat. No. 2 370 161; FIG. 10). In this patent a spatially arranged antenna structure is used. An antenna part is here connected to the feeder of a generator while another antenna part, separated from it in space, is connected to the other feeder of the generator. Between these antennas or in the space delimited thereby, a resonance condition is produced with the use of ultra-high frequency waves, i.e. in a frequency range corresponding to the range of the decimeter waves. This wave range is far removed from the considerably higher natural molecular frequencies. Outside the space delimited by the antenna parts no heating is possible, in particular, no heating occurs within the one-sided radiation of an antenna part.
Furthermore, a process for cooling and for creating electron energy by means of a cyclic process of electron gas in known (DD, A, 286 012). This process allows for effective cooling, however, not for the heating of a discrete material. In the process desired, resonance modulation within a geometrically defined space from which energy is to be withdrawn occurs. This process functions with a high-frequency carrier frequency as well as with a low frequency modulation, whereby modulation increase up to the transmitter amplitude causes heat and radiant energy to be withdrawn by means of the electron-gas cyclic process from the geometrically defined space designed for resonance conditions. This process is relatively expensive due to the geometric constraints of the space and the required modulations. A material placed in the space would be cooled only by means of space cooling but not directly.
A device making available inner energy of a material quantity is also known (DE-OS 3 017 422). In this case changes of the energy level in the molecular linkages are produced in an enclosed space of special form by the exciting radiation fed in form of coherent, impulse-modulated electromagnetic radiation. Here, the exciting rays fed in the form of laser rays must arrive at a certain angle which depends on the special form of the enclosed space. Furthermore the space must allow for total reflection of the exciting rays and the heat generated in the enclosed space must be removed via a heat exchanger. This device has the disadvantage that only a small quantity of energy can be transposed and that in addition losses occur, caused by the heat exchanger.
DE-OS 25 12 694 describes a process for the modification of the space-time geometry of a discrete material and DE-OS 25 12 694 a device for the modification of space-time geometry acting upon a discrete mass. In both, water, for example, is mentioned as a discrete material. It is the object of the present invention to create a process and a device for changing the temperature of a discrete mass, whereby greater efficiency is achieved by simple means.
It is in particular also an object of the invention to create a process and a device suitable for the heating of living space.